Bite bedbugs back with the facts (Pt. 2)

A look into bedbugs, how expensive they can be and what the average person should and shouldn’t do to get rid of them certainly wouldn’t be complete without some numbers. CLICK HERE if you missed the beginning of this article.

3. There’s no proof that bedbugs spread disease

Various medical experts state that there is no conclusive proof that bedbugs spread bacterial disease. Mental stress is another matter, though. But bedbugs may aggravate a person’s existing allergies or asthma.

4. Bedbugs cost hotels and apartments a bundle

According to Businessweek, a 28-unit apartment building can run up a bill of $40,000 for bedbug removal. And that was in 2007; it probably costs more now. Results of a study Steritech Group study published in Businessweek told a terrible tale of expense. Over a three-and-a-half year period, one quarter of hotels in a 700-hotel sample required bedbug treatment. Take the above price and multiply it by a very large number; legal settlements paid out to irritated guests are another expense some hotels face. Businessweek cites one case in which a hotel guest received a $150,000 settlement. And if a business wants to hire a bedbug sniffing dog from a company like New York’s K-9 Bedbug Detection Services, $900 to $1,500 per quarter is common.

5. Bedbugs will adjust to your schedule

If you’re a graveyard shift worker, bedbugs will get used to your strange bedtime hours. Medical experts indicate that bedbugs seek out body temperature and carbon dioxide. Even though the hours from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. are considered prime bedbug feeding hours, the insects can adjust.

6. Don’t burn down the house – let professionals heat things up

If bedbugs have visited your furniture or clothing, don’t panic. Don’t even go to the dry cleaner. Exterminators use dry steam cleaning, deep heat and chemical treatments to get rid of bedbugs in furniture. For clothing, 30 minutes in a hot dryer will kill any bedbugs. Do not use bug bombs, as they’ll only scatter the bugs everywhere, says Dr. Jones.